Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask

~ stashy ~ 47 Comments

Years ago, I used to love an inexpensive enzyme mask from Life brand, which is the private brand of Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM), Canada’s leading drugstore chain. It was called “Dermavive Renew Enzyme Facial Peel” and had just the perfect amount of AHA (in the form of glycolic acid) that gave my skin a bit of a tingle, but wasn’t so harsh that it made my face red.  Of course, they discontinued it. 😥  I, being that customer, actually emailed SDM to inquire about an alternative, but they could not recommend one. SOL, I decided to try to find a replacement.
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First, I tried the Freeman Facial Pineapple Enzyme Mask but it was so mild that I could not feel any tingle or skin sloughing effect.  I also tried O’slee Rosehip Peeling Gel which was the rage a while back – the idea is that you apply this clear gel on the face like a mask, and then rub it off in bits like you’re removing glue.  All that manual rubbing wasn’t good for my skin – this left my face red and irritated so I discontinued using it.  That brings me to today’s review; Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask – $12 for 50g (iherb and health food shops):
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My MAC Extra Dimension collection

~ stashy ~ 55 Comments

I mentioned a while back that I love the then still limited edition MAC Extra Dimension finish, and I was super excited when it was announced that they were making it permanent.  Today, I’ll swatch my collection of Extra Dimension items, which include eye shadows, and blushers and a bronzer:
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Extra Dimension formula is described as a “liquid-powder hybrid” with most eye shadows having a shimmery finish – some do have more obvious glitter or frost.  They can be used dry or wet for higher intensity but I’ve never used them wet – I will have to try that eventually. Worn dry, I find them to be exceptionally pigmented and smooth (all my swatches are done dry).

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Dragon’s Loyalty Award

~ stashy ~ 35 Comments

I was double tagged for this Dragon’s Loyalty Award!  I was nominated by StyledWithJoy and Plus+Beauty – 2 of my most favourite blogs to read! Thanks ladies, it’s always the highlight of my day when I get to interact with you online! 🙂
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“The Dragon’s Loyalty Award is an award for the loyal fan/commenter, whether the recipient is a fellow blogger or just someone who follows and comments regularly.” 

The Rules:

  • Display the award certificate on your website
  • Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented your award
  • Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers
  • Drop them a comment to tip them off after you’ve linked them in the post
  • Post 7 interesting things about yourself

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July beauty favourites and 200 Days of No-Buy

~ stashy ~ 57 Comments

I’ve never done a monthly favourites because I fear that my picks will become too repetitive month after month, since my favourites don’t change drastically.  Maybe it won’t be a monthly affair but let’s see how it goes. Before I get to my July favourites, I just want to acknowledge that today is my 200 day of No-Buy (aside from my birthday purchases, which is completely pardoned in No-Buy-land) – yay:
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Onto the July favourites:
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The Face Shop: Paraffin Nutrition Nail Pack

~ stashy ~ 15 Comments

I was in The Face Shop store to stock up on more of my konjac sponges and came across some new mask offerings they had at the store, including this Paraffin Nutrition Nail Pack.  It was only $2 per pack.  I had recently removed gel nail polish which left them quite dry, so I thought it would be a great time for me to test the paraffin treatment to help re-hydrate my nails.
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Back to school: Teen pack

~ stashy ~ 29 Comments

I know you’re saying, HOLD UP, it’s not Back to School time yet, it’s only the beginning of August.  And you would be right.  But you would also be wrong.  Have you been in the mall lately?  Summer clearances galore, and Back to School merchandise are making the annual creep… and it gets me SO excited!  No, I’m not excited for kids going back to school – I couldn’t care less – I’m excited for the Back to School merchandise.

This is something you probably don’t know about me, but every year without fail, I buy a Back to School beauty pack from the drugstore.  I’m not even the intended customer for these packs, but I can’t be the only non-teen-aged person to buy these packs for themselves, right?  I’m uh, picking this up for my sister / cousin / friend (me).

This is the “Teen Pack” this year from Shoppers Drug Mart:
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Trash Stash: July 2015

~ stashy ~ 44 Comments

July just flew by! It was my birthday month and I went on a road trip.  Here’s what I used up in July:
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And here’s what I thought of each – hopefully this will help you if you want to try any of these.

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Seven Deadly Sins of Makeup Tag

~ stashy ~ 39 Comments

This Tag has been going around for a while, I first saw it on fivezero’s blog, and then more recently on agirlwithpinkcheeks’s blog, which then reminded me that I had it in my draft folder.  The purpose of this Tag is to name a makeup item associated with each of the Seven Deadly Sins.  Side note: this Tag reminds me of the movie Se7en! (good movie but scary!)

GREED
What’s your most inexpensive beauty item? What’s your most expensive beauty item?
Most inexpensive: over the years I’ve picked up many beauty items for a dollar, but the one that I use regularly is the Wet n Wild eye shadow in Brulee, which is a fantastic brow highlight shade.

Most expensive: this is a bit embarrassing, but I paid almost $200 for a skincare set from a Korean brand I’d never heard of, and I still haven’t tried all the items yet, and that was 2 years ago. The brand is called History of Whoo and apparently it was used by the royal court. This is like the set I bought:

My goal is to use the whole regimen this winter!

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Review: hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Kusabi Brush

~ stashy ~ 16 Comments

I thought I’d review this brush sooner rather than later since it is a limited edition item, and on Sephora’s site, it shows a couple of the styles (including this one) as “only a few left”.  So if anyone was interested in buying one of these, now is the time!

As you may recall, I purchased mine on complete impulse upon seeing the display at the front of the store in Sephora’s “Hot Now” section.  There are 5 brushes in this collection (ranging in price between $38 – $68) which are described in detail on Sephora’s site so I won’t rehash it here.
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I’m focusing on the Wedge Sloping Powder (Kusabi) Brush which is described on Sephora as: A large angled powder brush with a brand-new shape developed by the Sephora Pro team for the self-application of powder, bronzer, or for neck shading.
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The first thing you’ll notice about the brush is the packaging, each individual brush is housed it a distinctive red textured cardboard box, very reminiscent of how Asian calligraphy brushes are stored.
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Since this is a collaboration between famed Japanese brush brand Hakuhodo (side note: not sure why Sephora hyphenated “Hakuho-do”? Hakuhodo themselves don’t hyphenate) and Sephora, the styling pays homage to the source.

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Best of bright blushes

~ stashy ~ 32 Comments

Bright blushes are perfect for summertime – they look especially gorgeous against tanned skin.  But fair skinned gals, don’t let bright blushes scare you – they add a flush of colour when dusted on lightly at the apple of the cheeks.  Put your sunglasses on – here are some of my favourite bright blushes from my stash:
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I do have to say though, no photograph can truly capture the BRIGHTNESS of these blushes – you have to see them in person to appreciate them!

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